CONGO – Nearly 27,000 cases of mpox have been found in the Democratic Republic of Congo, with about 1,100 deaths. The World Health Organization (WHO) has called an emergency meeting to discuss a jump in mpox cases spreading from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus made the announcement on Wednesday, amid an outbreak that has seen nearly 27,000 cases in the DRC and claimed about 1,100 lives, many of them children.

Since last September, cases have surged in the central African nation due to a strain of the virus that has now been detected in its neighbouring countries. “In light of the spread of mpox outside DRC, and the potential for further international spread within and outside Africa, I have decided to convene an Emergency Committee under the International Health Regulations to advise me on whether the outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern,” the WHO chief said in a social media post.

Ghebreyesus said he convened the meeting after cases of mpox appeared to spread to countries such as Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda and Uganda, where they had not been previously reported. The committee will advise the WHO on the question of whether the outbreak represents a public health emergency of international concern – the highest level of alarm that the WHO can sound. The WHO said the meeting would occur “as soon as possible”, but has yet to offer specific dates. Mpox is largely spread through sexual contact and is especially prevalent among men who have sex with other men. (Al Jazeera)…[+]